With growing incidents of rioting within jail premises in the state, the security of five prisons, including Lucknow jail, has been handed over to the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), an official said on Thursday.
The jails which would now be under 24x7 security cover of the PAC are Lucknow, Agra Central, Naini, Muzaffarnagar and Gorakhpur.
PAC personnel would report to the district administration and police officials.
Additional Director General (ADG) Prisons D.S. Chauhan said the new security arrangement was part of the "centralised security system" which has been set in motion for state prisons.
All entry points in these prisons would be manned by PAC personnel, something which hitherto was in the hands of jail staff.
This was necessitated after a series of violent incidents rocked jails in Varanasi and Deoria.
--IANS
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